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Greytown Branch
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Greytown Branch
The Greytown Branch was a five-kilometre 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) branch line railway off the Wairarapa Line at Woodside in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand's North Island. It followed an almost straight course over flat terrain. There were no intermediate stations.
On learning that the Wairarapa Line was to bypass Greytown, its residents sent several deputations to meet engineers of the Public Works Department to persuade them to change the route, but to no avail. In order to placate them, the Public Works Department offered to investigate the possibility of constructing a branch line to connect the town to the main line. Initial investigations concluded costs would be reasonable, and a survey was carried out in 1876. However, because of the Department's focus on other projects then underway, no further work on the idea was done at the time.
In 1878, the project was again promoted and this time authorised. A second survey was conducted in January 1879, with design work completed and tenders for the formation and buildings called for in June of that year. The successful contractor for the formation completed the work between 11 November 1879 and 10 January 1880. Two separate contracts were let, for the Greytown station buildings and for fencing the right of way. Both these contracts were completed on time.
The first scheduled services ran on 14 May 1880, a morning and afternoon mixed return service between Wellington and Greytown, an extension of the existing services between Wellington and Featherston, an extra 35 minutes being allocated for the extra distance. A locomotive, usually a member of the L class, was based at Greytown.
Initial traffic on the branch was reported to be "very satisfactory"; while certainly the case for goods traffic, it is doubtful that this applied to passenger traffic with an average of four passengers per train.
The only excursion train from Greytown transported picnickers, including many children, to Cross Creek on 29 May 1880. It was found that the destination was not suitable, and a suggestion for the next excursion to take revellers to Kaitoke never went ahead.
Four months after opening tenders were called for the branch to be worked by horses: with traffic already declining it was considered too expensive for a locomotive. When no tenders were forthcoming, the department based its smallest locomotive at Greytown.
Despite traffic not meeting expectations, Greytown handled around 6,000 outward passengers and 2,000 tons of freight annually for many years. With the erection of stock yards, livestock traffic started at 160 pigs and 15 sheep, and these numbers grew substantially. Beef cattle were not conveyed in notable numbers until many years later.
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Greytown Branch
The Greytown Branch was a five-kilometre 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) branch line railway off the Wairarapa Line at Woodside in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand's North Island. It followed an almost straight course over flat terrain. There were no intermediate stations.
On learning that the Wairarapa Line was to bypass Greytown, its residents sent several deputations to meet engineers of the Public Works Department to persuade them to change the route, but to no avail. In order to placate them, the Public Works Department offered to investigate the possibility of constructing a branch line to connect the town to the main line. Initial investigations concluded costs would be reasonable, and a survey was carried out in 1876. However, because of the Department's focus on other projects then underway, no further work on the idea was done at the time.
In 1878, the project was again promoted and this time authorised. A second survey was conducted in January 1879, with design work completed and tenders for the formation and buildings called for in June of that year. The successful contractor for the formation completed the work between 11 November 1879 and 10 January 1880. Two separate contracts were let, for the Greytown station buildings and for fencing the right of way. Both these contracts were completed on time.
The first scheduled services ran on 14 May 1880, a morning and afternoon mixed return service between Wellington and Greytown, an extension of the existing services between Wellington and Featherston, an extra 35 minutes being allocated for the extra distance. A locomotive, usually a member of the L class, was based at Greytown.
Initial traffic on the branch was reported to be "very satisfactory"; while certainly the case for goods traffic, it is doubtful that this applied to passenger traffic with an average of four passengers per train.
The only excursion train from Greytown transported picnickers, including many children, to Cross Creek on 29 May 1880. It was found that the destination was not suitable, and a suggestion for the next excursion to take revellers to Kaitoke never went ahead.
Four months after opening tenders were called for the branch to be worked by horses: with traffic already declining it was considered too expensive for a locomotive. When no tenders were forthcoming, the department based its smallest locomotive at Greytown.
Despite traffic not meeting expectations, Greytown handled around 6,000 outward passengers and 2,000 tons of freight annually for many years. With the erection of stock yards, livestock traffic started at 160 pigs and 15 sheep, and these numbers grew substantially. Beef cattle were not conveyed in notable numbers until many years later.
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